Towel-rack.



No. 629,458. Pate nted July 25, I899. H. c. McDONALD.

TOWEL RACK.

(Application filed Feb. 13, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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NiTED STATES PATENT union.

HOlVA RD O. MCDONALD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TOWEL-' RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 629,458, dated July1899' Application filed February 13, 1899. Serial No. 705 4215. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HOWARD O. MCDONALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bu E- falo, in the county of Erie and State of New York,have invented new and useful Im provements in Towel-Racks, of which thefollowing her of towels are daily used.

My invention has the further object to so construct the rack that thetowel can be conveniently applied and removed, to render thetowel-supports easily adjustable, so that more or less slack may be leftin the exposed outer portion of thetowel, and to provide simple meansfor keeping the towel out of contact with the sides of the casing toprevent binding of the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved towel-rack. Fig. 2 is a Vertical central section thereof atright angles to the towel-supporting rollers. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection in line 33, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections in thecorrespondingly-numbered lines in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectionof the lower portion of the rack, similar to Fig. 2, with the towel, itsguide and supporting rollers, and the partitions removed.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The upright casing or cabinet of the rack is rectangular in form andpreferably comprises a back A, extending from top to bottom of therack,side walls A A a movable front plate or door A a top frame composedof side bars I), secured at their rear ends to the back A, andacross-bar b, connecting the frontends of said bars, and avertically-swinging top lid 0, hinged at c to a strip a, which issecured to the upper end of the back A. This top lid is provided withdepending side flanges 0 which overlap the side walls of the rack, andwith a depending front flange 0 which overlaps the cross-bar b and towhich the lid may be normally locked by a lock 0 of any suitableconstruction; The front plate A is provided at its lower end on itsinner side with hooks or open bearings cl, whereby it is pivotallysupported on horizontal pins 01, projecting from the inner sides of theside walls A as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The hooks d and pins (1' form ahinge connection which permits the front plate to swing outwardly anddownwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. the frontplate is held in its normal position by depending lugs e,formed on theside flanges of the top lid 0 and overlapping the plate, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2. i

F is the endless strip'of toweling, which passes in a zigzag or sinuouscourse over the upper side of a number of guide or supporting rollers G,journaled in the upper portion "of the casing, and around the under sideof one or more similar rollers Gr GZ-journaled in the lower portion ofthe case, as shown in Fig. 2, by which arrangement an endless towel ofconsiderable length is supported in a comparatively small space. Theoutermost portion of the towel is arranged on the front side of thefront plate A and passes through an aperture 71, formed between thecross-bar b The free upper end of and the upper end of the frpnt plate,said cross-bar being arranged to overhang the top plate for forming thisaperture, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the outermostof the upper series of guide-rollers G is arranged to project beyond thefront plate for bringing the front portion of the towel outside ofthecasing. From the frontv side of the casin g the endless towel extendsdownwardly in a loose loop under the lower series of guide-rollers G G2and ascends between the innermost of these rollers and the back of thecasing, whence it passes over the innermost guide-roller of theupperseries, thence under the innermost roller of the lower series,

IOO

ries, leaving ample slack in the exposed front portion of the towel topermit the same to be seized and used like an ordinary endless towelhangingfromasinglesupporting-roller. The remaining looped portions ofthe towel are com paratively tau t. When the exposed slack portion ofthe towel becomes soiled, the same is simply pulled down for bringing anunsoiled portion on the front side of the cabinet, this movement causingthe towel to pay out at the top of the rack and return through the openbottom thereofin an obvious manner.

The upper guide-rollers Gare journaled at one end in closed bearingsformed in one of the side bars I) of the stationary top frame and attheir other ends in vertical slots or open bearings 2', formed in theopposite side bar and extending to the upper edge of the latter, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that after raising the top lid 0 said rollerscan be readily removed from their bearings for applying and removing thetowel.

The lower guide-rollers G are preferably supported in avertically-adjustable frame J, so that the intermediate loops of thetowel passing around said rollers can be lengthened or shortened byraising or lowering said frame for increasing or diminishing the amountof slack in the loose loop F of the towel. In the construction shown inthe drawings the frame J is U-shaped and adjust-ably supported in thelower portion of the casing by horizontal bolts j, secured to the sidebars of the frame and projecting through verticalslotsj,forined in theside walls of the casing. These slots are provided at one side with avertical series of notches or seats j", in one of which the boltsj restand in which they are confined by clamping-nuts applied to' the boltsand bearing against the outer sides of the casing. In adjusting theframe J these clamping-nuts are loosened, the frame is shifted laterallyto withdraw the bolts j from their seats, and theframe is raised orlowered to the desired position, after which it is again shifted in theopposite direction to engage its bolts with the adjacent seats 3?, andthe clamping-n uts are again tightened. The remaining lower roller Grispreferably arranged below the plane of the rollers G and made ofsomewhat larger diameter. This roller is provided with a retardingdevice, which checks the rotation of the roller when the same has beenpartially or completely turned by the movement of the towel, so as tooifer a certain amount of resistance after the exposed portion of thetowel has been shifted, say, twelve or fifteen inches, therebydiscouraging an extravagant use of the towel. The checking device shownin the drawings consists of a spring bolt or catch It, arranged in arecess formed in one end of the large lower roller G and adapted toengage in a recess or depression formed in the opposing side wall of thecasing, when the bolt arrivesopposite said recess by the rotation of theroller, as shown in Fig. 3. The head of the bolt is rounded or beveled,so as not to form a positive look, but allow the bolt to disengageitself from the recess of the casing upon applying sufficient force tothe towel for the purpose.

Zlrepresent a pair of horizontal idlers or rollers arranged above thechecking-roller G2 and bearing against the outer sides of the loop oftoweling which passes around said roller. These idlers are arranged soclosely together that they keep the sides of said loop out of contactwith the adjacent loops which pass around the guide-rollers G. Theidlers are preferably journaled at one end in closed bearings and attheir other ends in a. horizontal slot 1' of sufficient length to permitthe removal of the rollers by sliding the same toward one end of theslot. They are normally held at the extremities of the slot by..t -hetension of the towel. These guide rollers or idlers are arrangedinwardly beyond the front and rear sides of the large towel-roller G sothat the sides of the adjacent loop of toweling converge toward saidguide-rollers, thereby causing said loop to pass around aboutthreefourths of the circumference of the towelroller and to hug the sameclosely by reason of the inward deflection of the sides of the loop andthe tension of the same. This increases the frictional contact betweenthe loop and said towel-roller and causes the loop to maintain itscentral position on the roller after having been centered thereon. Whenthe endless towel comes in contact with the sides of the casing, itsedge is liable to be turned over or doubled, which shortensthe towel andcauses it to run hard over the rollers. By employing a pair ofdeflecting-rollers Z in connection with one of the towel-rollers,preferably the large roller G the adjacent loop is held centrally onsaid roller, and this causes the remaining loops to follow thefirst-named loop and run centrally on their supportingrollers, therebypreventing the above-mentioned objection and always insuring the easyrolling of the towel.

M represents upright partitionsor divisionplates which are removablyarranged in the casing between the adjacent portions of the variousloops of the towel and which keep thesame out of contact with each otherto prevent the used portions of the towel from soiling the cleanportions. These partitions are arranged parallel with the back of thecasing and extend from the top frame I) b to within a short distance ofthe lower rollers G. The partitions M are loosely fitted at one of theirupright edges-say their left-hand edgesin corresponding grooves n,formed in the adjacent side wall of the casing, as shown in Fig. 4. Attheir opposite edges the partitions are provided with angular flanges orstrips 0, which extend from end to. end of the partitions and togetherform the portion of the adjacent side wall of the casing arrangedopposite said partitions, as shown in Figs. 1 and l, the remaining lowerportion of said wall being permanent and terminating at the lower endsof said strips. As shown in Fig. 4, the outer faces of these strips areflush and the front edge of each strip, except the foremost one, bearsagainst the back of the partition immediately in front ofit. The spacebetween the back A and the rearmost partition-strip is closed by apermanent strip 0, as shown in Figs. 1 and t. The strips are provided attheir upper and lower ends with tongues 0 ,which enter correspondinggrooves formed in the upper end of the permanent side wall A and thelower edge of the righthand side barb of the top frame. The partitionsare held in place by the right-hand side flange of the top lid, whichoverlaps the upper ends of the strips 0.

In removing the towel from the rack the top lid is first unlocked andraised to release the front plate and the partitions, after which thelatter are withdrawn laterally from the casing and the front plate isswung down to the dotted position shown in Fig. 6,,the exposed frontportion of the towel being moved aside to clear the front plate. Theupper guide-rollers G are then removed from the bearings and withdrawnfrom the upper loops of the towelingand the idlers Z are also removed,which allows the various loops to become disengaged from thelowerguide-rollers Gr Gr and drop through the open bottom of the casing. Inapplying a towel to the rack the top lid is raised and the front platelowered. The towel is then looped and passed under the large lowerroller G and upwardly between the back A and the real-most lower rollerG, after which one of the removable upper rollers is passed through theloop and placed in the rearmost upper bearings. The towel is then againlooped and passed upwardly between the rearmost lower roller G and therear side of the checking-roller G2 and a second removable rollerpassedthrough said loop and placed in the second set of bearings. The towel isagain looped and passed upwardly between the front side of the check ing-roller G2 and the intermediate lower roller G and the third removableupper roller passed through the last-named loop and placed in the thirdset of bearings, and so on with the remaining loops and rollers. Afterapplying the towel in this manner the idlers are put in place, thepartitions M are inserted in the case, the front plate is closed, andthe top lid is lowered and locked, placing the-rack in condition foruse. i

Myirn proved rack, while permitting the use of a towel of considerablelength which lasts a comparatively long time, enables the towel to behandled as conveniently as an ordinary endless towel suspended from asingle roller. It saves the time required to frequently change towels inbuildings in which they are used in large numbers and also avoids theloss of towels, which is liable to occur when a number of ordinarytowels are furnished at short intervals.

In the drawings five upper and four lower guide-rollers for the endlesstowel are shown; but my invention is not limited to the use of thatparticular number of rollers,but a greater or less number may beemployed, according to the length of towel desired. The advantages of myinvention are obtained in a rack which has at least one lower roller andtwo upper rollers, although I prefer to employ a larger number ofrollers. In any of these cases the outer slack loop of the towel passesloosely underneath the lower guide roller or rollers and extendsupwardly on the front and rear sides of the inner taut loop or loops.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In a towel-rack, the combination with anupright case having an open bottom and provided in its front wall nearits top with an aperture, of guide-rollers j on rnaled in the upper andlower portions of the case, and an endless towel passing in a sinuouscourse over said rollers and comprising one or more inner taut loops andan outer slack loop which extends from the foremost upper guide-rollerthrough the top aperture of the case and downwardly on the front side ofthe case, thence underneath the lower guide-rollers and thence upwardlythrough the open bottom of the case and between the back of the case andthe adjacent taut loop to the rearmost upper roller, substantially asset forth.

2. In a towel-rack, the combination with a rectangular case having oneof its. side walls arranged to terminate at a distance from the end ofthe case, of guide-rollers for the towel journaled in the upper andlower portions of the case, and removable partitions arranged in thecase between the upper and lower series of guide-rollers and provided atone edge with angular flanges or strips which together form theremaining portion of said side wall of the case, substantially as setforth.

3. In a towel-rack, the combination with a case which is closed at oneside and open at its opposite side, of guide-rollers for the toweljournaled in the upper and lower portions of the case, partitionsarranged in the case between the upper and lower series of guiderollersand extending transversely from the ,closed side of the case to the openside thereof,

and a lid applied to the top of the 'case and overlapping the exposededges of said partitions, substantially as set forth.

4. In a towel-rack, the combination with a case having an open side andhaving the wall opposite said open side provided with internal verticalgrooves,of guide-rollers journaled' in the upper and lower portions ofthe case, removable partitions arranged in the case between said upperand lower series of rollers and fitted at one edge in the grooves ofsaid side wall and provided at their opposite edges with flanges orstrips which together close the open side of the case, and a lid appliedto the top of the case and overlapping the upper portions of saidpartition-flanges, substantially as set forth.

5. In a towel-rack, the combination with a case provided in its sidewalls with vertical slots each having a series of lateral recesses orseats, of upper guide-rollers journaled in the case, avertically-movable roller-frame arranged in the lower portion of thecase and provided with horizontal bolts which pass through said slots,and clamping-nuts applied to said bolts and bearing against the outerside of the case, substantially as set forth.

6. In a towel-rack, the combination with a support or casing, of two ormore horizontal towel-rollers journaled in the upper portion of saidsupport and one or more similar rollers journaled in the lower portionof the support, an endless towel having one or more inner loops whichpass around the underside of said lower roller or rollers and over saidupper rollers and an outer slack loop which passes loosely underneathsaid lower roller or rollers and extends upwardly on the front and rearsides of said inner loops, and a pair of deflecting-rollers arrangedadjacent to one of said towel-rollers and bearing against the outersidesof the loop of toweling which runs around said roller, the opposingsides of said deflecting-rollers being located inwardly beyond the frontand rear sides of said towelroller, for causing the sides of said loopto converge toward said deflecting-rollers, substantially as set forth.

7. In a towel-rack, the combination with a support or casing, oftowel-rollers journaled in the upper and lower portions of the support,one of said lower rollers being of coinparativel y large diam eter andarranged below the other lower rollers, an endless towel having one ormore iunerloops which pass around the under side of said lower rollersand over said upper rollers and an outer slack loop which passes looselyunderneath said lower rollers and extends upwardly on the front and rearsides of said inner loops, and a pair of defiectingrollers arranged iinInediatel y above said large lower roller and inwardly beyond the frontand rear sides thereof and bearing against the outer sides of the loopof toweling which passes around said roller, substantially as set forth.

lVitness my hand this 9th day of February, 1890.

HOWARD O. MCDONALD.

Witnesses:

JNO. J. BONNER, ELLA R. DEAN.

